Saturday 8 July 2006 - Oxford Falls and Redhill

Mountain bike riding is a funny business, eh!

After a week of mass confusion, Brian, his son Joe, T-Bone and Stephe managed to make it to Morgan Road for a quick Oxford Falls / Redhill loop.

The day started badly, with repairs to each bike as we rode along the early stages, and deteriorated when T-Bone buckled his front wheel down along Deep Creek, and then finally (after a puncture intermission), it came to a crashing end for Stephe when his trusty Giant VT2 snapped the frame at the seat stay on a none too challenging "wheelie drop" section... (see photos below). Let me tell you, it's a long walk out.

In short, a disaster.

That said, there were good bits: Joe showing us that real talent (as ever) is with the young; Brian taking on the scary bits all over again (he's back, Ladies and Gentlemen, and "don't it feel good"), and T-Bone getting out there and demonstrating that there isn't anything that worries him at all anymore (well, other than a buckled front wheel that is!).

No GPS or track photos (sorry), but the scary broken bike photos are here (and below):



Updated: Stephe managed to get a new frame midweek, from the chaps at Phantom Cycles, at Tahmoor (ask for Kerry). Fantastic assistance, quick response, and they were able to work out a new Giant Reign frame, and swap all the old bits and pieces over (together with new bits where required) - for a very reasonable price. All in all, a good outcome - still waiting on Giant to give me a view on the 'out of warranty' claim for a bike that just should not have broken in that way...